The police have been put on high alert in Hyderabad in view of Telangana Joint Action Committee’s call for “March to Assembly” on Friday. Apart from bolstering the security cordon around the Assembly building in heart of Hyderabad, all the highways and other roads linking the State capital to Telangana districts have been sealed off.
The police have set up check-posts on roads linking Hyderabad to Mehubnhagar, Medak, Nalgonda and Warangal. No vehicle was being allowed to proceed towards Hyderabad without checking. The measures were aimed at preventing any largescale movement of Telangana supporters towards Hyderabad.
In Hyderabad, the barbed-wire fencing around the Assembly has been further increased in height. In an unprecedented move, the police have also set up embankment with sandbags on the main gates of the Assembly and armed policemen have taken position behind them.
Hyderabad city Police Commissioner Anurag Sharma, after a review meeting with senior officials said that permitting “Chalo Assembly” programme was not possible as miscreants and Maoists can take advantage of it and create serious law and order problems.
Pointing out that Maoist leaders have called for turning the Telangana movement into a militant movement, he said that there were indications that Maoists were trying to infiltrate the movement and take advantage of the situation.
He said that the past experience shows that such large gatherings can lead to law and order problems. He pointed out that there was trouble during the last massive gathering of Telangana supporters near Hussain Sagar lake and 34 cases were booked. Earlier, the Million March programme on Tank Bund also witnessed violent incidents, he said.
“As a large number of people gather for such programmes, the leaders cannot control them,” he added. Prohibitory orders were in force in a radius of 2 km around the Assembly. “We have installed video cameras to identify the trouble-makers,” he said.
Meanwhile, Osmania University campus in Hyderabad on Wednesday witnessed a clash between police and pro-Telangana students as they tried to take out a rally in support of Friday’s programme. After the police prevented the students from marching out of the campus, they pelted stones on the police. Police lobbed teargas shells to disperse the students.
The Telangana Joint Action Committee has called for the “Chalo Assembly” to press its demand for formation of Telangana State. They want the current session of the Assembly to pass the resolution.
The call has the support of the Telangana Rashtra Samiti, BJP and the CPI. The Telangana Forum of Telugu Desam Party has also announced its support to the call.
The latest statement of Union Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde has further inflamed the passions in the region. He ruled out an early decision on Telangana issue saying there was no political consensus on it.